Record numbers at IRE 2017

The International Rental Exhibition (IRE) attracted a record number of delegates at the 2017 show – 1,600 – compared to 1,035 three years prior, representing an increase of 54.5%.

The IRE 2017 show was held alongside the European Rental Association’s (ERA) annual Convention, at the RAI Centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 2 to 4 May. The 1,600 delegates includes all ERA’s visitors and exhibitor staff.

The general consensus was one of positivity at the show, which saw 65 exhibitors showcase new and existing products, aimed at the construction rental market.

There were over 70 brands of equipment on show, from exhibitors such as JCB, Ammann, Case Construction, Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe), Atlas Copco Portable Energy, Volvo Construction Equipment, Wacker Neuson, Ditch Witch, Vermeer, Thwaites and Yanmar Construction Equipment Europe, among many more.

Speaking at the ERA Convention that ran alongside the show, ERA President Pierre Boels, said, “The show has overwhelmed our expectations, since the exhibition sold out much earlier than expected. We are very pleased to welcome over 60 exhibitors, including also first time exhibitors.

“Few events in Europe give the opportunity to the manufacturers and other suppliers of the rental business to meet with the European rental business experts, all at once.”

Meanwhile, exhibitors spoke of the quality of people at the show, insisting influential buyers and decision makers visited their stands throughout the three days.

Jesús Martίnez, commercial manager, AEM, said, “The show has been good for us. We have not had a flood of people, but we’ve had good people come here. It is better to have one good person than 100 not so good. We have made some leads.”

JCB proved to be a major attraction at the show, following its launch into the access market. And, Phil Graysmark, Sales Director, JCB Access, said, “Obviously there’s been an attraction at our stand because of our new access equipment.

“We’ve had a lot of people on the stand and a lot of potential customers. It’s a shame we couldn’t bring all of our new access equipment really, but what we have brought seems to have gained some attention.”

He added that, overall, it had been a really good show for JCB, at the perfect time as far as its access launch was concerned.

The adjoining show APEX attracted 4,650 delegates in total, including exhibitor staff, compared to 4,400 in 2014. APEX delegates also had free access to IRE.